Enemy of My Enemy
by L 0 K I
Summary: Sesshoumaru/Kagome. One bond is broken while another is formed. All in the hands of the enemy. Be sure to READ ALL WARNINGS!
1. The Invitation

(AN)---This story is assuming two things from the start.(1) Sesshoumaru wants Kagome, but has not been given the opportunity to act on the desire.(2) Naraku knows this.How does he know this?One of the questions that will be presented, but not likely answered.It isn't important to the story to know how this came about, only that it has. :-D

Um, yes, a few **WARNINGS!**

This is Sesshoumaru/Kagome with a little twist of Naraku/Kagome.The main pairing is S/K.And I'm not sure yet, but maybe another pairing will be implied.I won't say who on account of I'm not certain if they will appear or not.I'll let you know when I know!

This is a somewhat 'darkfic', but it ends on a note of hope and promise.Yes, I have twisted some of the characters around to my own liking, but you'll find their core-personalities relatively intact.

I won't be posting all of this story here, on account of a good portion of it being 'lemon'.But I will be providing a link where you can read the rest, if you choose to.Serious warnings for that part, so pay attention to them.If you don't, you'll wish you had.That said, this IS a 'lemon', though what you read here will **never rise above the available ratings.**

Last but not least, I like Naraku!And if you don't, that's your choice, I'll respect it.All I ask in return is that you respect *my* choice.That means: comment, review, encourage, or point out technical errors, but do not flame!

Now that I've said that, I'll most likely get flames. ^_^

There is an additional AN at the bottom.Do not skip it!

Thanks everybody! ^_^

**Enemy of My Enemy:**

**The Invitation**

Kagura landed with a backwash of wind.No chit-chat, no preliminaries.She glared at the man who had previously turned down her plea for help and said, "You and my master have unfinished business.Come or don't."With that she flung a scrap of cloth at him.In the same motion she plucked a feather from her hair and launched into the once still night.The invitation given, just as Naraku had ordered---There was no point for her to stay any longer.

Sesshoumaru watched the wind-witch go, gold eyes beautiful, but empty of interest.He opened his clawed hand and looked down at the rectangle of cloth that lay innocently across his palm.

Kagura stood in the doorway, looking in on Naraku's turned back.She was nervous, had been since her foiled attempt at escape, but her pride wouldn't let her body betray her.So her chin was raised and her crimson eyes glared at the hanyou in that snide way she knew annoyed him.She leaned nonchalantly against the screen, her fan opening and closing in rhythm, like the wings of a feeding butterfly.

"The message has been delivered."To emphasize her cool and unscarred act, she added, "Do you really think he'll come?"

Naraku's lips turned up into a slight, self-pleased smile, though the gesture was not for his child's benefit."He'll come," he said, liking how the small creature before him tried to draw back from his voice, having not been prepared for it to be in such proximity to her.He reached up and traced cool fingers over the subtle line of her cheek, her jaw, feeling the way her teeth clenched beneath.

Kagura snorted behind him, though the sound was less-pronounced than it once had been.She had no idea what Naraku was up to, and she did not like that.She had thought she understood his recent actions pretty well, though he rarely told her the full of his plans anymore.And then he had sent her out to entice that cold bastard, Sesshoumaru.Try as she might, she could not see how the youkai Lord fit into the puzzle.

Not my business_, she thought brusquely, pushing it all aside.__My business is my self._

She snapped her fan shut."If you say so."

"When he arrives, Kagura, I want you and Kanna well out of range of his sense."

The wind-user paused, half-turned in the doorway.Was he telling her to leave?Was all this some elaborate test to see how loyal she was?Her eyes narrowed.It would be just like Naraku to bring in that stupid dog-demon for the sole purpose of tormenting her.But she knew that couldn't possibly be it, he had to gain more than her pain...but what?

There was no way for her to ask, and nothing left that she could say.Kagura resigned herself to her ignorance and turned back to her original path.If Naraku said leave, she would leave.For now, her heart was in his hands, and his words were law.For now.

Kagura was thinking of escape yet again, but that was nothing new.Naraku left his underling to wallow in her silly fantasies and focused his dark eyes on the jewel before him.The one that would help him acquire all that he desired.In the continuing silence after Kagura's departure, he observed the girl as she began to relax again, her tense muscles uncurling and her delicate hands settling more quietly in their bonds.Her resemblance to Kikyou was really uncanny.

She hadn't talked much since the first hour of her arrival, but she did so now, turning her head in his direction as if the action made some sort of difference.

"I'll see you dead for this."She spoke calmly, with just enough conviction to let him know she believed her own words.

"Many have tried, and yet, here I am.I don't believe you are in any position to be issuing threats."To prove his point he absently pulled his hand through the soft waves of her hair, watching it spill like cool liquid silk from his fingers.

As expected, she jerked away from the offending touch, growling warning deep in her so fragile throat.It was a sound reserved for more threatening frames, but he had to credit her for her straight spine.Most in her position would have crumbled long ago, as the hours crawled by.But she seemed only to grow more level and determined, more certain in her own powers, and those of her companions.

It was admirable, to say the least.But an utter waste on her part.Nobody was coming for her.Or more, nobody that he didn't want to come for her.

Let Kagura have her doubts, Naraku had complete faith in the trap he had set and baited.For one reason or another, the great youkai lord would come.

_TBC..._

This story is basically PWP with just a touch of plot.Citrus-type stories are best, IMO, if they are honest.If they don't hide behind some half-contrived plot manufactured for the sole purpose of trying to make the 'lemon' believable, or acceptable.

I don't often write lemons, but I have been known to read them.I proudly admit that, and I'm not ashamed.I am over eighteen years old and have every right to access things of an 'adult nature'.I will, however, respect ff.net's decision to not have NC-17 fics posted to their site, despite the fact that I do not agree with them or their methods.I've resigned myself to the sad reality that ff.net no longer reflects its users, or really even cares.

This is my first TRUE foray into the 'lemon' genre.I will try to keep it tasteful, but I will not sugarcoat it.There will not be any 'waves crashing' or 'fireworks exploding'...

-_-;Sorry guys, I can't write like that.Romance novels of that level of absurdity make me laugh.Smutty novels make me laugh, too.Let's see if I can walk between the two without falling too far into either, okay?

How many of you don't really care, as long as it's Sess/Kag?!^_~


	2. The Bait

(AN) The rating went up for a reason.  And for those of you going, 'Short chapter! Short chapter!'...This is only half the chapter. :-( You'll see what I mean.  Read AN at the end if you are interested in seeing the rest of this story!  No, it doesn't end here; there is at least two more parts!  ^_^

If you don't like 'lemons' then I seriously suggest you not read any further.  It's pretty much safe to read this chapter, but I don't see any point to it.  You definitely won't like subsequent parts.

If you're not 'mature' enough for such material, access at your own discretion.  I am not your mommy, so I won't tell you what you can and cannot read.  You should know if you are mature or not.  What's posted here is R, but if you choose to follow the link I give, IT will be NC-17.  Keep that in mind.

That said, I relinquish all responsibility for your actions.

Just a precautionary measure, mina-san!  ^_^ Sorry if I sounded bitchy or something, but I don't like to play around when it comes to this subject.

All you brave people left, feel free to read on!  Let me know what you think!  A lot of how this lemon is received will influence my decision to write any more stories within this genre.  ;-D

Thanks!  ^_^

**Enemy of My Enemy:**

**The Bait**

It didn't take Sesshoumaru long to find the boundary of Naraku's staked territory.  The wind-witch Kagura had made sure to leave him a ready trail of her peculiarly mixed scent.  Of course, the inuyoukai was fully aware of the trap they had set for him.  He just didn't care.  Naraku was a hanyou after all, and of no danger to the full-blooded demon.

Standing before the invisible barrier, Sesshoumaru let his mind wander to the stupid girl again, his one hand still at his side though he had a sudden desire to slip it inside his kimono.  As if fingering that small bit of cloth would remind him why he was there.  It would not.  It would only serve to arouse more of his anger.

It ends here, he thought with the same finality that he often spoke.  Though for a moment he was unsure if he were referring to that meddling hanyou, or the weak human girl that had brought him to such a disgraceful place in his own mind.

Sesshoumaru stepped forward, and the barrier before him shimmered, pushing at him as if it could keep him out.  With the same haughty expression that the lines of his face always fell into, he pushed back, felt the magic's weak resistance fall away.  Only to close behind him.  

A new world began to form for his senses, one of darkness and thick, putrid air.  The castle before him was silent, little more than a kingdom to house the dead.  He could already smell the decay of bodies left for too long in the open, the flat, faintly metallic taste of old blood, and long-perished terror.

The girl's own unique scent was nearly buried in these things, but it wafted out, a tickle of something cleaner, fresher.  It carried a faint trace of his brother.  A contact-scent, his mind reasoned, trying to calm the inherent anger that always came with the thought of Inuyasha.  Now was not the time.

Sesshoumaru walked slowly through the castle-graveyard, his irritation swinging once again between Naraku and his brother's bitch, but mostly Naraku.  For somehow becoming aware of the dreams and primitive desires that had been plaguing him recently.  For baiting his trap with the promise of vengeance and sex.  And for _thinking_ that he could trap him, the great youkai lord Sesshoumaru, with such things.

This insult would not go unpunished.

The bitch would pay, too.  For whatever spell she had cast on him.  For disrupting his thoughts and stirring up conflict in his own mind.  There were nights he slept and dreamed of nothing but her touch, her rising above him or falling beneath him---pleasure that had nothing to do with his brother's pain...

Naraku.  He could smell the girl's scent, getting stronger, but the hanyou's was fading.  Not wondering why this was, mainly because he didn't care, Sesshoumaru followed the trail of the miko's scent through the deserted castle.  Logic told him to deal with her first, but he did not fully trust his logic where she was concerned.  Too often his own mind ceased to be his sanctuary.  

It was another reason to find her, to lay her hold on him to rest.

The nearer he got to her, the thinner the poison in the air.  It was as if merely her presence was enough to purify the putrid smell that infected the gloomy castle.  He understood that she was a miko, that purification was the gift she carried, but other than the odd arrow fired, he had never witnessed her powers at work.  Was she even conscious of the effect she was having on her surroundings?

The screen was closed before him, but there was a silhouette cast on it like a distorted shadow.  His gold eyes narrowed, there always being instant annoyance within him when something, even inanimate, stood in his way.  The screen instantly slid open, accompanied by a hiss of air and a nearly inaudible, feminine gasp.

The girl hung from the ceiling by her bound wrists.  Tiny rivulets of blood ran from a ring of wounds undoubtedly caused by her pulling at the cords.  The blood was dark in the twighlight of the room, but its smell sparked images in his mind of deep, rich red.  Her feet were bare, brushing the floor from time to time as she swayed slightly in her bindings.  Her head was down, chin-to-chest, and her ebony hair obscured most of her pale face.  But he could see some strip of cloth cut across her eyes to be knotted in the back.

She lifted her head as he moved deeper into the room, and her face turned full on him, though she couldn't possibly see him.

"Who's there?" she called, and he paused at how calm she sounded, how composed her voice was when it should have been hoarse from the screaming her kind seemed to enjoy so much in these situations.

"Who is there," she demanded when the room remained silent before her.  She kicked one leg out, away from the wall, though the gesture was weak and showed the fatigue that had been eating away at her muscles.  "If that's you, Naraku, why don't you come a little closer---SO I CAN KICK YOU IN THE..."

Sesshoumaru watched her pause, her head tilting to the side as if she were conversing with realms that he could not, himself, hear.  Her head swung in his direction again, but the grudging determination was replaced with something very akin to relief.

"Inuyasha?  Is that you?" came her voice, smaller and more girlish than before.  She stretched against the binds, pulling at them and causing the wounds on her wrists to pull open again.  She didn't seem to feel the pain.

The youkai lord wanted to be enraged by her obvious mistake, but couldn't.  Something about the relief on her face had made him stop, made him think.  Only to make him realize he hadn't been thinking since he entered the room.  He had just being steadily moving towards her, drinking in her scent, and the stronger aroma of her blood.

The same conflict rose in him---the desire, and the disgust that came with it.  But he wasn't one to nurture inner-turmoil, and he wasn't one to deny himself what he wanted.  He wanted her, it was irrational at best, but he did.  Being the powerful lord that he was, he had every right to take what he wanted.  So she was human, that just meant she couldn't deny him.

"Inuyasha?"

He took a step forward, and another, his body suddenly thrumming with the tension of anticipation.  The girl, being a true miko, caught the change in the air, the subtle scent of a demon on the prowl.  Her head swung up, her breath quickening to tiny, sharp pants, though she did not have the training to tell her why.  The perfume of alarm suddenly rode the air around her, but it only succeeded in making her more appealing to the beast inside him.

By the time he reached her she had worked herself into a panic, the cord around her wrists sliding in blood and her abrupt movements bringing more to trickle down her arms.  The sleeves of her strange kimono were becoming soaked with it.

He paused a foot before her, and he knew she felt him because her struggles ceased, though anxiety made her already fatigued limbs tremble.  The dark, empty room was filled with her labored breathing.  It was the only sound.

He took in deep, filling breaths, sucking the mixed scent of her blood and fear deep into his body, then holding it there.  His nose fell to her heaving breast, and he sniffed along her body, falling lower and lower until his chin brushed against pleated cloth.  He pressed his face into her skirt, rubbing it back and forth against the coarse material as she yelped in surprise, her struggles returning though there was nowhere for her to go.

Sesshoumaru went to his knees with the strength of his arousal, feeling the more primitive side of his nature trying to take control.  He let its growl spill out from his lips, a sort of statement of his intentions.  This was why he had chosen to abstain from mating all-together, even with his own kind.  Because there always came a point when the beast took over.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

And I'm going to cut off there because it's as close as we can get to the sex, without pushing the line.  Sorry!  ^_^

Hmm, there is definitely romance, but I consider it more of a 'subtle' romance.  NO rape.  Though there are a few moments of aggression.  But it's all consensual.  You'll see if you read through to the end. ^_^

Is there OOC-ness?  I think that's pretty much a given now.  I don't usually like it when the characters aren't 'in character', but I don't mind so long as it's intentional, and I'm warned ahead of time.  So, Sesshoumaru is OOC, but not completely.  Kagome is OOC, and not just a little.  But notice how I don't give her point of view, or go over what she's thinking.  That's because it would take somewhere around 300 pages to work through her thoughts, reasons, and reactions.  This is PWP.  'plot?  What plot?' or 'porn without plot'.  The small touches of plot have been added because I *need* them.  I couldn't write this otherwise. -_-

Yes, I am repeating myself.  I just don't want anybody to say I didn't warn them.  So...

When I say 'lemon' I mean there is sex and penetration, and all the stuff that goes with it.  It is described, in as much detail required to push the story along.  Because Sesshoumaru is aggressive and NOT shy---he's not going to, forgive the horrible pun, pussyfoot around.  As one would expect Inuyasha to do.  He's going to seek his pleasure, and give pleasure...and I pretty much think this is exactly how he would act during sex.

Aggressive, yes, but I see him being a *_little_* submissive, too.  I've worked subtle threads of that into the story.  I can't explain it, but I see him content as both a top and bottom (only so long as he's still in control, of course! ^_^)

If I haven't scared you away, and you want to read more, please cut and paste the following link:

http://adultfan.nexcess.net/aff/main.php?list=53

OR, look for me at www.adultfanfiction.net under the username 'Loki'.  I thought about posting at MediaMiner, too, but I really haven't been happy with the site recently.  It's slow to load, and nearly impossible when it comes to fanart.  Would any of you rather read the rest at mm.org?  I'll post there if some of you would prefer?

That said, please review!  Especially for the FULL chapter.  I really want to know if I have any skill at writing lemons.

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I'm attaching this note to all my fics in their next update.  Please read and give me your opinion.

Someone recently asked me if I had a site of my own for fics.  My answer was no.  But then I got to thinking...maybe I should create a site.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe I've ever really seen an IY site dedicated purely to Alternative romance pairings.  That is my question.  How would you feel about an Inuyasha fansite hosting ONLY alternative pairings?

I know that's not enough to go on, so allow me to clarify a little! ^_^

What do I consider an alternative pairing?  Simple, any pairing that isn't a traditional one.  What do I consider a traditional pairing?  In a short list:

Inuyasha/Kagome

Miroku/Sango

Shounen ai, yaoi, shoujo ai, and yuri pairings would be accepted.  Triangles also, even ones featuring a traditional pairing---only so long as they feature an alternative character and do not end with the traditional pairing.  For example, Inuyasha/Kagome/Miroku would be okay only if the triad is kept intact, or if it ends with Mir/Kag OR Inu/Mir.  But not if it ends with Inu/Kag.  I would consider Inu/Kag/Kik acceptable, but it would have to follow the same rules.

Some examples (off the top of my head) of the types of pairings that would be hosted are:

Miroku/Kagome

Inuyasha/Kikyou

Kagome/Sesshoumaru

Inuyasha/Sango

Kagome/Kouga

Sango/Kagome

Sesshoumaru/Naraku

...Basically any pairing besides Inu/Kag and Mir/San.

All ratings would be acceptable, and the proper measures enforced to warn readers of adult material, should they come across it.  Sorry, but I would NOT accept any traditional character/original character couples.  I know there are some well-written mary sues, but only characters created by Rumiko Takahashi would be supported.

I know for a fact that the main pairing of the site would be Sesshoumaru/Kagome, because this couple seems to be the most popular 'alternative' within fanfiction.  That should appeal to quite a few of you!  I know it appeals to me! ^.~

If I get enough interest expressed then I will definitely start work on the site.

So, anyone interested?  ^_^


	3. The Trigger

I've been made aware that AdultFanFiction.net has been having a few problems.  Understandable, since it is a pretty new site, and completely fan-run.  In the event that you can't access the rest of this story here:

http://adultfan.nexcess.net/aff/authors.php?no=1424

I've posted it at MediaMiner.org, too.  Try it here:

http://www.mediaminer.org/user_info.php?id=61186

If you still can't access it...Er, the only advice I have it to try either site at a later time.  I hope this helps a little.  And remember, REVIEW!

Thanks!  ^_^

~Loki


	4. The Trap

Er, I know that I posted a note on Adultfanfiction.net that I was discontinuing this fic, but I've changed my mind.  Too many parts of the story are too clear in my mind, and I can't seem to abandon it.  Well, I originally planned for only two more parts.  But alas, it's not to be.  More chapters will be coming, with more of the original characters making appearances.  I'm sure everybody is as disappointed as I am. ^_~

Enemy of My Enemy

The Trap

He stiffened beneath her, the fingers that had been running absently through her hair stopped.  In the same motion she sat up, her eyes swinging about as if she could see beyond the walls of the dark room.

She looked back down at him, her eyes a little wide.  "He's coming."

Sesshoumaru nodded, pushing up with his one arm.  He stood and she quickly followed, the twighlight around them painting her nude body in lines of silver.  She didn't seem concerned about her state of undress.  Her eyes were steady on his, anxious and worried.  When had she abandoned all fear of him?  Her ready faith made him uncomfortable, he didn't understand it.  He didn't understand _her.  But it didn't seem important.  She was right, he would protect her now._

And for the moment, protecting her meant getting her clothed.  For some reason that escaped him, he did NOT want the hanyou's offending eyes to fall on her as she was.  Or even at all.  Forgoing his own clothes, he swept up the pieces that remained of hers and realized there was not enough to adequately cover her.  The ragged scraps puzzled him a moment, and a long-quiet voice awakened.  It would be so easy to leave now, wash his hands of such a pathetic creature.  He, better than most, understood that one good fuck did not constitute a commitment of any sort.  Leave the girl, take care of the Hanyou, and move on.

Or better yet, kill her.

Lifting his gold and blue obi, shaking it free from where it rested among his clothes and armor, Sesshoumaru glanced down at it, then up at her.

"Come here."

And like that she crossed those few steps, completely trusting of him, because in her own mind they had shared something special.  She stared up at him fearfully, though none of it seemed directed at him.

_She fears that hanyou more than I.  How peculiar.  Especially now that her life rests so completely in my hand._

"Lift up your hair."

Again, her hands moved as if his words were strings that pulled at them.  With a certain amount of familiarity, she gathered her thick dark hair in two hands and lifted it away from her neck.  In pure effect to her cause, her back arched slightly and her breasts rose more noticeably with her not so steady breath.  Her body still blushed with the memory of his touch.

With a neutral face, Sesshoumaru draped the dominantly gold cloth across one of her shoulders, then tried to pull it across to the other.  His one arm made the action more awkward then it should have been, but the girl caught on quickly.  Dropping her hair so that it fluttered down around her shoulders, she grasped both edges of the lengthy sash and crossed it over her breasts.  Pulling it tight, she then took it across her back and down over her thighs, wrapping it twice to be sure.  She secured the entire makeshift outfit with a knot tied tightly at her hip, leaving the free ends to trail down to her knees.  It left her stomach bare and brought emphasis to the womanly curves of her body, but it covered her.  And that was all that mattered for the moment.

"Thank you," she whispered, smoothing various edges into place and pulling once again on the knot.  Sesshoumaru stepped back, barely acknowledging that she had spoken.

He had an intense, but utterly ridiculous desire to run.  Somewhere.  Anywhere.  As long as it was away from her.

Why aren't you killing her, that inner-voice demanded of him.  He didn't hear it.  The gold and blue of his obi made her eyes nearly glow.  A scared shade of blue, but also a determined one.  He said nothing as she stepped forward and began helping him put on the rest of his garments, her fingers fumbling over various unfamiliar fastenings.  He wanted her to stop.  It was important that she stop.  But he couldn't seem to tell her that.

Her eyes flicked hesitantly up to him, and then away.  Her hand ran down his fur pelt absently, then she bent to retrieve his swords, Toukijin being first since it was closest to her.  Her fingers had nearly brushed the demon-sword's hilt when she found herself sprawled on her back, her elbow throbbing sharply as it caught most of her weight against the hard floor.  Sesshoumaru stood over her, his gold eyes blazing in something very close to rage.  He reached down and hauled her up by her protesting elbow, bringing her close to his face and shaking her angrily.

"Never!  NEVER touch Toukijin!"

Kagome hung in the tight grip of his one hand and whimpered.

_Finally, he thought__, she is coming to her senses!_

"I'm so sorry," she whispered breathlessly.  Sesshoumaru froze as she, instead of shrinking back from his anger, stepped forward and buried her face in his chest.  "I wasn't thinking!  Please don't be mad!"  She started to cry, soft tears against his collar.

Sesshoumaru stood utterly still.  He did not move to draw her near, or even push her away.  She was unlike anything he had ever come across before.  As delicate and frail as a snowflake on the outside, but she carried an aura around her that was as unyielding as tempered steel.

"Don't be mad," she whispered again, quieting against his warmth.  His one hand rose to the small of her back, then up, through the waves of her hair to rub against her shoulder.  She was soft under his touch, susceptible and easily broken.  But he thought that maybe it was this vulnerability that drew him, that puzzled him.  He knew she was strong, stronger than he would ever verbally give her credit for...and where such strength should have been bought with broken trust and broken innocence, both elements still seemed intact within her.

He would never admit it, but as the glow finally folded completely from his body, and his thoughts came circling closer to the surface, he was terrified.  Of what he had done, what he had never meant to do.  That his beliefs were wrong, or...

_He was wrong._

Just like his father.  Just like Inuyasha.

His fingers wrapped tight around her arm, just above the elbow, and he shoved her away, forced her back.  She stumbled, but didn't fall.  Her eyes were wide, but still trusting in the dark.  He growled.  Not out of threat or warning, but the sound of a dog backed into a desperate corner.  He could smell her all over him, taste her in his mouth!

_I am not my father!  "Have you forgotten who I am?!  I am not some pathetic hanyou to beg at your heels!"  __I won't let some bitch destroy me like he did!  "Do not take such liberties with me!  I am Lord of the Western Lands, and you are nothing!  A miko, a weak human female.  Did you honestly think I cared for you?!  That I would protect you?!"  _Sesshoumaru does not care for any human_!_

He swiped at her with his one clawed hand, and though the motion was abrupt and looked dangerous, it came nowhere near harming her.  All the same, Kagome threw herself instinctively back from the 'attack', her blue eyes wide and just beginning to brim with more tears.  He paced her across the dim room until her back hit the open screen, exciting a tiny shriek from her lips.

The youkai part of him, the same part that desired her so, responded to her fear with a snarl, a flashing of delicate fangs.  Prey, it said.  _Fear._  Food.  Easy kill_.  But the wires were crossed.  Prey, prey, but the leaping wolf did not take the doe down only to fuck it on the forest floor.  Her breath was coming faster and faster, her pants filling the shadowed dark.  And Sesshoumaru once again found himself frozen before her.  For a moment he was completely lost._

He lifted his hand, this time to draw her close and soothe away her anxiety, like smoothing down the ruffled fur of a frightened cat.  But she flinched from the touch, her labored breathing finally giving way to strangled sobs.

With a panicked glance she threw herself out the door.  The movement was so swift and unexpected that he only saw the end of his obi flutter and disappear into the dark hall.  Nothing more.

"Wait," he whispered, though the reason why escaped him.  It didn't matter.  She was already gone.

He should let her go.

Sesshoumaru picked up Toukijin and Tenseiga, unsure of what to do with them since the absence of his obi was proving problematic.  He finally settled them as best he could, and took those steps that carried him across the floor and toward the still open screen.  She couldn't have gotten far.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, is this lowly Naraku not worthy of your attention?"

Sesshoumaru paused on the edge of one step, then turned gracefully into another, giving a neutral profile.  Inside he was seething.  How could his senses fail him now?  Even the ever-creeping Naraku, with his false, soft paces, should not have been able to slip in under his notice.

"Or can you not think too far beyond your brother's pet-miko?"

That was so close to the truth of the matter that Sesshoumaru instantly felt rage.  And though the emotion bubbled hotly within him, the surface remained calm and smooth.  His grip shifted on Toukijin slightly, going from loose and ready, to threatening.

Naraku did not react; he knelt in his customary stance, head down so the pale baboon pelt obscured his face.  A face that could never be mistaken for innocent, but was beautiful and angelic in its own very vicious way.  His crimson-dark eyes stared at the ground in a mockery of respect and humility.  As an enemy, the gesture was derisive.  The averted eyes suggested that he did not see Sesshoumaru as a threat, not to his plans, or his existence.

Which was a complete and utter lie.  Out of all those that had ever sought to destroy him, Sesshoumaru was the one that had come the closest, stood the greatest chance, and he knew it.  Naraku was master of the game, of trickery and betrayal, but Sesshoumaru's vulnerability did not reside in the fragility of emotions.  Until recently, Naraku had been certain that the taiyoukai's weakness could only be found in his arrogance, or perhaps his consuming hate for his half-brother.

Then the miko, Kikyou's brighter twin came along.

And Naraku saw Helen of Troy all in a glance.

He could not pit Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru against each other, he had already tried and failed.  Left with years to toss and simmer, Inuyasha's hate was fully in place, a tangible thing hammered out through many fights and callous insults.  Something _that_ set could not easily be maneuvered or altered.  Not to mention he could never be bothered to actively seek out his brother.  Though that tempting morsel known more commonly as Kagome may have once swayed his mind.  But no more, Naraku smirked.

And Sesshoumaru, with his obstinate arrogance...he had made it clear that, though killing his half-brother was a priority, doing so at someone else's direction was not acceptable.

But love, passion, obsession...of all emotions, those were perhaps some of the easiest to manipulate.  Both brothers now held a direct tie to the miko, and through those ties, like a great puppet master, Naraku could make them all dance.

Starting with the _immovable Sesshoumaru._

And even if Sesshoumaru still refused, then there were other steps that could be taken.  The miko, for instance, once a soft, comforting cushion for Inuyasha, would become a bag full of sharp edges and unyielding bones.  And every glance from her guilty eye would cut him right to the quick.  If the hanyou survived, he would be of no threat to him in his broken state.  The image of such a pathetic creature was almost more pleasing than his death.

And Sesshoumaru would suffer, too.  He had deigned himself to copulate with the dirt of the earth, and Naraku would make sure he remembered every stain from his joining.  In his own way, the youkai lord would break.

It was subtle, the way Sesshoumaru's grip shifted on the hilt of the sword already in his hand.  Naraku had thought it infinitely _sweet of him to sacrifice his obi to covering the girl's nakedness.  A useless gesture, _really_.  But nonetheless gallant of the cold-hearted youkai.  Naraku did not lift his head as he spoke, he did not need to, for the mocking amusement slithered through his voice like a snake through shallow water._

"And who could blame you, she is indeed a feast for the eyes," he glanced up, needing to see it, "_and other senses, I'm sure."_

Cold fury chased across the taiyoukai's eyes like a dark cloud blown across the moon.  Satisfied, Naraku lowered his gaze, reveling in Sesshoumaru's rage where lesser creatures would have prostrated themselves and begged for mercy.

There was a tiny shift in the current of poisoned air that bled through the room, Naraku let it wash over him but did not move.  "Kill me," he said, "but you know I am not truly here.  Two chances to guess where I really am."

_Kagome, the thought struck Sesshoumaru, echoing alarm through his being though he fought it.  He was used to trusting his first instinct in its honesty, but his first instinct was suddenly one of protection.  His second was to destroy this spelled doll and leave the wretched girl to fend for herself.  Such internal conflict could thrust him into confusion---instead, he chose to act.  He was moving nonchalantly across the room as if he were bored and meant to leave, knowing all the while where he truly intended to go.  He would not think about it, not until much later._

"You leave this room and she will be dead before even you can reach her.  I move at my master's will, so as I see it, he will know it," the puppet spoke in honeyed tones, a voice thick and sweet with venom.  Now it was time to see if his first, and infinitely more entertaining, plan would work.

Sesshoumaru stopped.  That was all.  "I will not be ordered by a lowly hanyou like you."

Naraku, or more his creation, smiled at the soft waves of pale fur that fell over his body to fold upon the floor.  It was exactly the answer he had expected.  For all Sesshoumaru's terrifying power, he was predictable.  Partially because of that power.

"I mean no disrespect, I seek only to seal a deal with you.  One, I think, will prove beneficial and give us both what we desire."  _Most_, he added silently, though he knew not to say it aloud.  The taiyoukai would object to such an extreme.  And his objection would move him to challenge rather than consider.

Naraku, through his toy, waited for Sesshoumaru to demand an explanation, or at least show some interest, but his face reflected back impassively.  He nearly glowed against the empty blackness of the still open shoji, his eyes promising nothing, not pain, not curiosity.  Even the anger glimpsed only moments before was completely gone.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Kagome was running.  Her only thought being more like a knot tightening in her overly-tangled mind.  _Getawaygetawaygetaway.  From Sesshoumaru.  And beneathe that, on some level still able to think semi-coherently, she was aware that she wasn't truly fleeing him, but more what he now meant to her.  Naraku wasn't even a possibility to her anymore._

Until the voice came.

"_Kagome..._"

She didn't look around for him, because her name came from all directions.  Her legs shook, trembled in their weakened state, but she pushed them on.  The only indication that she had heard him being the way her head bent nearer to her heaving chest.  Her speed moved beyond reckless and turned into the desperate dive of a small sparrow trying to escape the claws of a hawk.  The tears quickened on her cheeks.

"_Run_," he whispered, "_run_."

"_But where will you go_?"

She rounded a corner and instantly went down, her barefoot catching and holding on something solid and feeling of dull sandpaper.  She hit the ground hard, her momentum causing her to skid across the unforgiving floor and the breath to crush from her body in a sound very close to a dry-sob.  She choked back a whimper as pain clawed up her leg in a stinging wave of heat.

Still there was the need to run.

She dug her nails in, tried to pull herself up by the shadowed wall beside her, but something held her down, dragged at her from the floor.  For one panicked second she thought it was _him_ and kicked back, wanting to shriek but not having the breath to.

Her anchor gave an ominous rattle, then her foot was suddenly free, and she glanced back to see that she had tripped over a corpse beneath armor, and that she had scraped her leg very badly on the rusted metal.  Neither seemed important enough to stick in her frenzied mind, so she doggedly got up and threw herself back into running, trailing blood behind her with each step she took.

"_Not to Inuyasha.  Tainted, spoiled.  He won't want you now.  But did he ever want you_?"

"Stop," she pleaded, the words striking true in her, cutting through her panic and echoing the voice beneath that was saying nearly the same thing.  "Stop!"

"_Not to Sesshoumaru.  Oh Sesshoumaru, he gave you so little, but he took so much_."

Kagome whimpered at that, covering her face with her hands as if the movement could shield her from the truth.  She was running blindly now, sobbing out-right, knowing full well that all those whispered words were real.  That Sesshoumaru had betrayed her, and she had betrayed Inuyasha, and she was going to die beneath the crushing weight of both.  She couldn't think of any punishment more fitting.

"_Don't you see_?"

Running full tilt, she stumbled as she collided with something hard, and the force snapped her head up and back.  She had a glimpse of eyes that burned like acid, then he lifted his hand and her world fell around her in shattering black.

The miko hung limply in his arms, as if all the bones and muscles in her body had melted into water.  Ebony wisps of hair clung to the graceful curve of her cheek, her lips.  In the twighlight of the hall her face glistened with tears, and Naraku found himself struck by the sudden beauty of it all, as if the universe had shrunk down to include only this moment in time.

He didn't want to break it, but he had to.  And even in the breaking there was beauty.  "I am all there is," he whispered, running his fingers through her hair.  "The only place left to you."  He leaned forward and tasted her pain.

_End Part One._

It's always darkest before dawn.  In the next part we delve deeper into that darkness.

Not happy with this chapter, but I am rarely ever happy with my writing.  *le sigh*  Worst critic and all that, ya know? ^_^  Anyway, a million thanks to those who have reviewed!  I leave it to you to decide if this fic is worthy of being continued!

Ummmm, is it worthy of being continued?


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